Anthems For The Apocalypse is a fast paced, cinematic 10 song alt-rock record that revives the raw passion of the early 90’s grunge movement that began in the Pacific Northwest – and quickly gripped music fans around the world.

Co-Produced and Mixed by multi-platinum selling producer Greg Archilla (Matchbox 20, Collective Soul) the album takes off and doesn’t relent. From the roaring first single, “Revolution Of The Heart”, the chest beating anthem “A Shock To The System” and the cinematic title track, Jonathan Jackson + Enation set out to prove that Rock is alive and well.

*Track Listing:
1. Blame-shifter
2. Revolution Of The Heart
3. Magnify
4. A Shock To The System
5. This Darkness
6. Thirst
7. Ascending
8. Let The Beauty Out
9. Alleluia
10. Anthem For The Apocalypse

The Story:

When we began making Anthems For The Apocalypse we wrote on top of a piece of paper, ‘THIS IS AN ALTERNATIVE RECORD.’ We wanted to create music that captured more of the intensity and energy of our live concerts.

We’ve always wanted to make a driving record, one you could put on in your car and just go!

When we recorded Anthems, we didn’t know it’d be the last album with Daniel Sweatt. The title denotes an ending; we didn’t know it would also mean the end of that chapter with him.

It feels like Anthems captures our journey together well, a great note to end on together – and a great kick off into the next chapter. We are excited for you to share in that journey in the music.

We recorded Anthems primarily at a studio in Nashville called Welcome to 1979. It’s a studio that specializes in recording to tape. Most recordings nowadays are digital, and we wanted to capture the sound of that vintage process.

Greg Archilla, our co-producer, was excellent at manning the ship. Recording straight to tape meant that there was even more emphasis on the band to capture the sound in the room, which is exactly what we were aiming to do.

The result, as we hope you’ll hear and feel in the music, is a visceral energy… like you’re in the room with us.

About The Songs:

“Blame-shifter” kicks off the record like a high speed car chase. But at its heart, the song is actually a quiet contemplation about humility and grace towards others. We found it interesting to have that juxtaposition; the loud rock and roll set against the backdrop of a very contemplative, internal moment.

The next song, “Revolution Of The Heart”, is the most anti-political, political song we’ve ever written. There certainly are good revolutions throughout history but many ended up being terrible and destructive, even when there were good intentions involved.

Our world is more divided than ever it seems and the political climate is driving deeper wedges in society. Ultimately, politics can only offer some of the answers we’re looking for. The deeper longing that we’re “marching for” personally is a revolution of the heart. It’s an inner revolution. We need to first love each other and remember our common humanity. Then we can approach politics and work towards important solutions.

“Magnify” came together while we were on tour. We were jamming with it and our sound engineer came up and asked us about it. We knew if it peaked his interest, there was something there to keep exploring!

As much as any track on the album, you can really hear the influence of us growing up in the NW; it calls back to that 90’s grunge movement that is filled with screaming guitars, gritty vocals, and visceral emotion.

A song that jumped out at us right away was “A Shock To The System”. From the initial guitar hook, it was off to the races. Songs with that kind of energy don’t happen every day, so when they do, you do your best to keep up.

“This Darkness” is a song we’ve had in our back pocket for some time. It felt like the right album for it, with its anthemic chorus and big sound.

Anthems has moments of contemplation and poetry amidst the rock n’ roll.

The song “Thirst” snuck up on us. We had a demo of it that we all liked, but it wasn’t until late in the making of the album that we realized how well a moment like this fit.

Greg Archilla did a quick mix on it, and after listening overnight, it ended up feeling close to finished. It surprised us how quickly the song came together, but we discussed how when something works, it’s best not to overthink it.

We’ve had the song “Ascending” in our live arsenal for years, but its never made an album, until now. It’s a highlight track for us, one we feel expresses the sound and energy we were searching for well.

“Let The Beauty Out” is another alternative / aggressive song that has stillness at its core. It’s about finding a way to crawl through pain and find the beauty that is waiting for us to discover.

The song “Alleluia” is another moment of contemplation on the record. We played the song acoustically prior to recording it and fell in love with the beauty and simplicity in the the song. We tried to keep the studio approach minimalistic, supporting but not overwhelming the song.

The last song on the record, “Anthem For The Apocalypse” ties the record together, both thematically and sonically. We wanted the song to feel more symphonic in its movements, rather than a highly structured verse-chorus template for a song.

Donnie Reis arranged and performed the strings for song, which brought out the emotion and set the atmosphere for the ending of the album.

We hope you enjoy taking this journey with us, and that your own Anthem is one filled with incredible beauty and adventure.

Featured Lyrics:

THIRST

Hold your heart up to the light
If your intentions are pure
Your bones will declare your thirst

Sail into oceans of blindness
Forgive who you were
Your eyes betray your thirst

You will never burn bright
As stars that glow
You will never shine
Fierce in the heart until you know

How loved you are
How loved you are
How loved you are
How loved you are
How loved you are

Sleep on stones and dream
Of endless rivers divine
Cease to fear the worst
Sing with lungs on fire
Join with the angel’s choir
The blessed last will be first

You will never burn bright
As stars that glow
You will never shine
Fierce in the heart until you know

How loved you are
How loved you are
How loved you are
How loved you are
How loved you are

And the words will feel like shadows
So hollow in the night
You’ll die of death and mourning
Before the morning light dawns

Quench my thirst with tears you cried
From the fountain of life and raise a toast
We’re alive

The water is wine
The water is wine
This wine is divine
This wine is divine
This wine is divine